Daily Devotionals

Proverbs 9:10–12

If honest, most of us should admit we live with a serious shortage of what God calls wisdom. How often have you and I “gone it alone” while deciding, planning an event, determining a course of action, or developing a strategy for intervening in someone’s life? I’ve lost track of the times I’ve gone off half-cocked and responded to a difficult situation out of pure emotion rather than a profound sense of sensibility or restraint. Both of those virtues come from God. Put together, they spell W-I-S-D-O-M.

Solomon wrote:

Romans 8:1–2, 5

Only God’s Spirit can take the barrenness of our lives and bring a refreshing spirit renewal and joy.

Genesis 25:5–8

Many years ago, a wise and godly friend and financial counsellor convinced Cynthia and me that we should share our possessions and inheritance before we die. He quoted the old saying, “Do your givin’ while you’re livin’, then you’re knowin’ where it’s goin’.”

He wasn’t just sharing his opinion or delivering a personal preference. He offered to us a principle of handling our financial blessings straight from God’s Word:

Acts 8:26–28, 30–31, 35

Can there be anything more exasperating than calling a customer service number and getting an electronic answer? You know how it goes:

Press one for English. Press two for technical support. Press three for directions and hours of operation. Press four for a callback. Press five to return to the main menu.

It ought to add: press six if you give up!

Why isn’t anyone available?!

Matthew 5:1–5

I love reading biographies of great individuals. I’ve said for years that all of us should be students of great people. I’ve read several volumes in my lifetime on the life and character of Abraham Lincoln. Tucked away in one story of Lincoln and his home life is a wonderful piece of knowledge that few perhaps would guess: Lincoln was a gentle father. Though strong in temperament, determined in his vision for freedom, and often fiery in his leadership style, he carried the mantle of gentleness into his home. I love that!

Hebrews 4:12–13

I recall learning as a boy a little Sunday school song that went something like….

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see,
Oh be careful little eyes what you see!
For the Father up above is looking down in love,
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see!

After all these years, that simple ditty has stayed with me. And so has its message. Be careful where you go and be careful what you look at, because God cares too. He is pleased when your whole life remains pure before Him.

2 Timothy 1:16–18

The virtues God desires to form in us are best modelled in some of the obscure characters in Scripture. In fact, the virtue of generosity is often mentioned but rarely seen or experienced.

Romans 2:2–4

It was a shocking display of all-out defiance. Minutes before his execution, convicted Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, gave a handwritten copy of William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus” to the prison warden. The final lines of that ominous ode of defiance still send shivers up my spine:

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Jeremiah 22:18–21

When you boil life down to the bare bones, the name of the game is change. Those who flex with the times refuse to be rigid. They resist the mould, and reject the rut—ah, those are the souls distinctively used by God. To them, change is a challenge, a fresh breeze that flows through the room of routine and blows away the stale air of sameness.

Acts 2:43–44, 46–47

Shortly after his conversion in 1929, C.S. Lewis wrote a letter to a friend, and in the letter, he included these words:

“When all is said (and truly said) about divisions of Christendom, there remains, by God’s mercy, an enormous common ground.”